(1) Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices employed for automatically walking or exercising an animal. More particularly, this invention relates to devices employing a tether assembly for restraining a dog to a path of travel defined by a suspended elevated cable.
(2) Prior Art
A number of devices have been proposed for exercising animals and particularly for automatically exercising dogs. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,232,630 issued to Orlowski et al., 4,286,788 issued to Simington et al., 2,871,915 issued to Hogan, and 3,965,866 issued to Lorentz et al. generally disclose devices which employ a motor operated assembly for reciprocating a tethered object along a path.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,630 discloses an animal exerciser having a carriage which attaches to an animal and an endless belt which moves the carriage in a substantially straight line, the direction of travel of the carriage being reversed at each end of the line of travel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,866 discloses an animal exerciser adapted to be mounted overhead within a support structure spanning a ground area. The exerciser of U.S. Pat. No. 3,965,866 includes a drive sheave and a plurality of idler sheaves suspended to receive an endless elongated belt. A tether assembly is connected to the belt and includes a drum and a retractable cord adapted to be connected to an animal leash or halter so that when the device is driven by a motor to move the belt in a continuous cycle, the animal is led about a circuit defined by the drive and idler sheaves.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,903 discloses an animal or a leash guide assembly for confining the movement of a tethered animal to a limited area. The guide assembly employs a plurality of stationery retaining blocks to provide a mount for an endless cable. A traveler member is slidably secured along the cable at one end and secured to the animal at another end. The traveler member forms a slot so that the traveler member passes through the retaining blocks and traverses a path for restraining the movement of the associated animal to a limited area.